TACKLING THE SAFETY ISSUE

One San Diego County football official, who spoke on the condition he not be identified, said rough play was an emphasis, especially early in the season.

“We were told to look for helmet-to-helmet contact,” the official said. “Quite honestly, our crew was surprised with how few have been called.”

San Pasqual Athletic Director Andrew Clark, also the football team’s offensive coordinator, said he hasn’t seen a helmet-to-helmet play all season and has seen only one spearing penalty.

Steve Coover, the head of the San Diego County Officials Association, said his organization doesn’t keep statistics, so he can’t say if any players have been disqualified for illegal contact.

“My crews are telling me it’s not a problem at our level,” Coover said of helmet-to-helmet contact. “What we’re emphasizing is unnecessary roughness. There is no rule that says a player can’t go high to make a hit.

“Good hard plays are part of football, and we’re not going to punish a team or player for hard play. But player safety is a strong priority. I tell my guys, if they see something they don’t like, throw a flag, and I’ll support it.”

In recent weeks, there have been a number of penalties called on legal — but violent — hits well behind the ball. It’s generally agreed there also has been an increase in penalties on sideline plays where a defender cleans out a ball carrier rather than running him out of bounds.